Marcy Ely, of Homewood, shopped at one of the Penn Hills stores on Thursday. She showed Channel 4 Action News her grocery cart full of ground meat, chicken, fruit, soup and other items that she estimated would cost around $100 elsewhere.

"All in all, $45, that's all we spent, and it's fantastic," Ely said. "Aldi and Save-A-Lot, you got a run for your money."

She also said a newspaper coupon offered $10 worth of free groceries if a shopper spent $20.

"I got a lot of stuff, but I made sure I spent $20 so I can get my $10 back," said Henry Gionta, of Penn Hills.

"It's just that you've got to stand in long lines," Ely said. "We've been here since 8 o'clock. It's a quarter to 10. But it's worth it."